St. Valentine's Day Massacre Connection

Bungalow residence in Stevensville

Bungalow residence in Stevensville, Michigan thought to be that of Fred Dane but on December 14, 1929, after St. Joseph Police Officer Charles Skelly was gunned down, it was learned that Fred Dane was actually Fred "Killer" Burke. Residence is located on Red Arrow Highway south of Glenlord Road on the east side of road. Structure is still standing, however has been converted over to the business of Coldwell Banker Real Estate.

Weapons Cache

When Deputies made entry into the residence of Fred "Killer" Burke, they forced open a locked upstairs closet and found:

Two Thompson machine guns w/ Nine ammunition drums - One gun was assembled, loaded and ready for instant use while the other was in a black suitcase

Five 100-shot .45 caliber drums loaded, many other smaller drums

Three 20-shot clips

Two high powered rifles, one was Winchester .350 automatic, other was Savage .303

In addition to the arsenal, deputies found trap doors, several disguises, well-thumbed detective novels and $390,000 worth of stolen bonds from a Jefferson, Wisconsin Bank.

Sheriff Fred Bryant and Deputy Charles Andrews pose wearing bullet-proof vests from the Burke residence and brandishing two weapons also confiscated, including one of the Tommy Guns.

Wanted

Wanted Poster put out by the Michigan State Police for Fred "Killer" Burke in 1929.

Forensic Innovations

Colonel Calvin H. Goddard, first Director of privately funded scientific crime detection laboratory which later became the Chicago Police Department Crime Lab as a result of St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

The gun room at the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.

Firearms technician Allen P. Wescott test firing a weapon in a container of cotton at the lab.

Calvin Goddard at work.

Calvin Goddard examining a weapon from breech to muzzle to see whether it had been fired since last cleaning.

History Today

Berrien County Sheriff's Office Historian and 911 Supervisor Chriss Lyon holding one of two Thompson Sub-Machine Guns seized from the Stevensville residence of Fred "Killer" Burke in 1929. Also pictured are Sheriff Leonard Paul Bailey and Quartermaster Lt. Michael Kline. Photo by John Madill, The Herald-Palladium, October, 2006.

Fred "Killer" Burke house in 2008, now home of Coldwell Banker. Photo by Chriss Lyon, 2008.